Latest / The Property Unleashed Podcast / Renters Rights Reality Check

Transcript

Renters Rights Reality Check · The Property Unleashed Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, everybody.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to our monthly update with the lovely Alison McMullen from Homemaker Property.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: Great to have you on, Alison.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: How are you today?
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Good evening, everyone.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm all good.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we've got some hot topics going on.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Every every every other month, there seems to be something changing or something being introduced.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, you guys come on, yourself and Anthony as well.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Come on and explain those to us so that we can stay up to date and we can stay compliant as landlords as well.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we hugely appreciate your support on this.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I know today's topic's an interesting one with a bit of an update as well.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll hand it over to you.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: So today I thought I'd cover a bit about the Renters Rights Act, what we're seeing on the ground, how we feel things have been affected, any issues that we're seeing, and how that how we're resolving them.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then I'm going to move on to the landlord database because that is coming, depending on what area you're in, very soon for some areas.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: So a little bit of an update on that and what that's going to entail.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, in terms of what we're seeing on the ground, one of the main things that is a bit problematic, I think, is the notice period for tenancies.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it was originally said that the tenants tenancies were reverting to the new system and that all tenants needed to give two months' notice.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of the government have kind of gone back on that a little bit by saying that anyone that was signed up and was a tenant prior to the first of May were not allowed to change their tenancies into a less favourable way.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're now saying that any tenancies prior to the 1st of May or that started prior to the 1st of May, it's one month's notice instead of two months' notice.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: I really don't think it matters.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: I actually think that in some ways the two months notice is a worse thing for landlords.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't really seen any benefit there whatsoever.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think, especially the room market, if you're doing HMOs and rooms, I think what we're seeing is tenants, it tends to be quite they come and they want to move in in a week or two's time.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're advertising two months in advance, I'm not really seeing a lot of benefit to that.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, I'm going to try the next couple of rooms.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to try a bit with test and advertise them a bit nearer to their date just to see if that makes it a little bit, we get a bit more interest because a lot of the interest we get in will be to move within the next few weeks rather than two months down the line.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to try that one.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think in singlets it's perhaps a little bit different when you've got family homes.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: But again, I I I'm not seeing a lot of benefit.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what your experience, Mark, if you've had anyone give notice.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's when they give notice, we don't really do a lot.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: We don't really start.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, with we're predominantly rooms, uh, other stuff is is more with like social housing support, living and things.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: So when it comes to the rooms, it's realistically about two weeks before they're going to move out, we'll start to promote the room and advertise.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll ask for permission just to say that if we do get any viewings, would they be happy for us to have a look around?
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: And if they're not, because some people don't, then we have to just say, well, once you've moved out, then we can do the viewings, but it will look like this.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, it's such such a sort of, I mean, HMOs are a lot more of a transient market, aren't they?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it's I I haven't had anybody that said, Well, I'll wait two months for that room.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're off finding something else, aren't they?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, exactly that.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And also it's it's also the condition.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: If the room's not in a very good condition, you're not going to be in a position to really show and do viewings two months in advance, anyway.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it opens up that door, you get someone that wants to take it.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: All you're allowed to take is that hold one week's holding deposit, and there's nothing to stop them dropping out a bit near the time.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I in reality, I don't think this too.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: I at first I thought, oh, two months' notice, that's good for landlords, but I really don't think it is.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'd much prefer just to be dealing with the one month's notice anyway, yeah.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: On that respect, and I think in terms of the stock levels, what we're experiencing is our stock levels are at kind of an all-time low.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: There's not much tenant movement, so tenants seem to be staying.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Not sure if that's uh because of the Renters' Rights Act, but I think probably more about affordability and just to move nowadays the rent and the deposit, you know, for a half decent room in our area, you're over a thousand pounds.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know if that's anything to do with it, but there's a lot less moves going on in the market.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've got your if you've got your property full, I'd say if you can do anything possible to keep your tenants happy and stay in, I'd say that that's probably a good thing at the moment.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I mean, we've only had two since the first of May and the new agreements, we've only had two tenants give notice that well, they've had to give two months' notice.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: So that again, that's not there's not been much movement.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And in reality, their two months' notice, it does take them up more or less to the six-month mark, anyway.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think one gave notice um is due to leave at the end of this month, so slightly shorter than the six months, but nobody's really moving in that we've experienced and given notice the next day or anything like that, and having that shorter tenancy is a possibility on that.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, notice periods, I think that's probably one of our biggest challenges because I think it's just in terms of predictability of what our lets are coming, it's making it a bit difficult when they're having to give two months' notice.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: In terms of rent increases, I mean, we've just continued as normal.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: We've always been quite proactive with getting rent increases in and monitoring our managed stock every year and doing that rent increase, and that's continued really.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't really experienced any pushbacks.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think most tenants now, because we're doing it so regularly, they're expecting it.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: There's a there's a few pushbacks, but most of them can be amicably resolved.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't had any rent tribunals, uh, but I have got some stats on it.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: So early tribunals, these are where you've issued the section 13 notice and tenants have the right now to go to a tribunal if they're not in agreement.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully they'll discuss it with you first and try and come to an agreement.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: But 9% of those cases that have been seen, no increase has been permitted.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: So they've sided with the tenant.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: 40% have had the landlord, they've agreed with the landlord, their increase has been upheld.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And 51%, it's been a somewhere in between.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So they've had an increase, but not quite as much as the landlord had wanted.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd say kind of a 91% success rate in terms of landlords on that.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I think, yeah, I think most tribunal cases are coming out in favour of the landlord, and those rent increases are going through.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I haven't had no direct experience of that yet, so I'm sure it will come at some point.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: But we just try and, you know, we try and back up all of our rent increases with the market information to show tenants what else is out there and kind of how their property compares.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: If you keep it just below the market rent, it tends to go down a little bit better.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I'd I'd my recommendation is always to try and increase the rent every year.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you're£10 down on the market rent, I perhaps wouldn't bother.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Just because you haven't done it at the year mark, it doesn't mean that you can't push it down the line for another few months.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got a couple of rooms that have come up for a rent increase at the moment.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: We think it's pretty, they're pretty fair market rates.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's a couple of empty rooms in that particular property.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: So we our recommendation has been let's see what's happening in January rather than do the increase now.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then moving on to pets.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we've had a few petting pet requests.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Not sure if you've had any in your HMOs, Mark.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: No, well, we had we had one with a cat, but everybody in the house wants the cat.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not ideal, but at the end of the day, I've just said, you know, we we've got an insurance policy on it, and that's it, that's the only thing we've had.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I I was a bit against it because obviously if it's you can't have a cat in a room, can you?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Just leave them in a room and stuff.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, cats like to come and go, but we haven't got cat flaps or anything.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, we spoke to everybody in the house, and everybody in the house was like, Oh no, brilliant! Oh, I love cats, and basically, from what we've seen, I haven't been there myself, but from what we've seen, it it pretty much has its own little wander around, it's got its little tray in the kitchen, and every and everybody's happy with that.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I might have a problem when we have an empty room and I need to get a new tenant in, and we've got a resident cat there, but at the moment it's it seems to be okay.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we've we've had the same actually.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was thinking in my head beforehand, I was prepared for dog requests, but most of what we've had is cat requests.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: We had a 14-bed HMO where they wanted a cat, and just like it's too big a property.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this particular room was on the second floor, there's no direct access.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And just it was a student.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: I thought, you're gonna be out at uni all day, you're gonna be out in the evenings that you know.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's perhaps a little bit just a bit, maybe that's not the case, but that was declined on the basis too many people in a in a shared environment for that one.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: And again, we've had one this week where the gentleman has lives on the ground floor and he said, Oh, I'll leave a window open for it to get in and out.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: The landlord's like, absolutely not.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: You can't leave a window open.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, they they've both been turned down and declined at this point.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I think, yeah, we've just had cats.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think we've had any dogs yet, um, or any other creatures.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And again, single legs, it's it's probably not so much of a problem, but I think HMOs, yeah, it's difficult.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's difficult if they've all said yes at the moment, further down the line, yeah, you might have a problem with that.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Equally, we've had a tenancy end recently, they had a number of cats, and we're now having to deal with fleas at that point.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it's that's not always evident on the exit as well.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you've just got to be careful with pets.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's ideal, but see, we have to consider them now.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: So moving on to tenancy agreements.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: So any new agreements from the 1st of May should now be on the APT, so the assured periodic tenancy.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a tenant that was in situ before the 1st of May, they're probably on an AST.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to do anything in terms of serving them a new agreement if you don't want to.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, all you needed to have done was serve the renters' rights information sheet prior to, I think it was the 31st of May, that that had to be sent out.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Ideally, they needed to acknowledge receipt.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's impossible with every single tenant.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: We've got a track record that that was at least provided.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: But in terms of, I think you were asking me a question, Mark, prior to getting started today about buying a property where there's tenants in situ and what agreements they're on and if they're on an AST.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: So it isn't necessarily a problem.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Ideally, I would want to see that the renter's rights information sheet has been served.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: If it hasn't, it could throw up issues in the future about getting notice as if you're serving notice.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: However, I mean, what I would do if you're still dead set on buying that property, I would get new APTs, treat it as when you're taking over as a brand new tenancy and get it all set up again.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Issue with them with APTs because you want them to have your details, you want them to be on your contract.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: I tend to have, you know, we've had agreements come over from other agents or other landlords that are self-managing.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I prefer our agreement when we're managing it.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know the terms.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of extra stuff that we've put in and built in over the years from our experience.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I always preferred people to be on our own agreement if we're managing it anyway.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: So on that basis, I'd say you don't need to necessarily worry, it's not a problem.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Ideally, they would have served the renters' rights information sheet.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: But if not, I would just get them set up on your APT when you get that property under your control.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, as I said, I said to you before, we were looking at it and it was an auction property, and it was just like that that could be one of the red flags.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's why we thought, you know, if it's because this was an HMO, but it's an HMO that we realistically it wants to be taken on and vacant possession because it's going to go, you know, and be knocked about basically and refurbished because it's it's very ran down.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like, how difficult would it be to get the there's only two, I think there's only two or three tenants in there out of a six bed.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So how difficult would it be to get them?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: So uh the sort of time frame on that would be about three months, then wouldn't it, from when you've served?
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Is it three months we have to have them before we can serve notice?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: It depends on what basis.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I would say if you're buying a property and you ideally want it vacant possession, it will be easier for the seller to get vacant possession because they can serve it on the grounds of they're selling the property.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's a mandatory ground, so it can't be argued with.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: You can't serve that within the first 12 months of a tenancy.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah, yeah.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: But obviously, from your point of view, you're taking it on, you can't serve notice on the basis that you're selling it because you're not.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it becomes a bit trickier.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: We might flip it.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: We might flip it.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: We might be a case that we're doing it up to flip.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we would be selling it, but like you say, it'd be easier if the current landlord does it and the time frames would be quicker as well, wouldn't it?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: But once you've also sold, once you've given them notice on that grounds that you're selling, if you then do the renovations and then perhaps the numbers aren't stacking or the markets a bit stagnant, you're not selling, you can't rent that for 12 months.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: That does cause you a bit of an issue.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of you you lose the backup a little bit.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: You've kind of got to be decisive that if you're flipping it, you're flipping it.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: You can't revert further down the line.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: So it my recommendation would be get the seller to give the notice.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: But if it's an auction one, it's probably a bit tricky because I'm guessing that it's being sold for a reason that they don't want to have to go through down that route.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: I've guessed it.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we won't bid in the auction, we'll let it go through and see what happens.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's gone through an auction before and still been and still not sold.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: So let's see what happens, fingers crossed, and then obviously we can we can do something at the back end, so to speak.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: But no, that's interesting, that is, thank you.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it's four months.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So if that settle was given notice, it would be four months notice.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that gives us time while we're buying it, then to to have that going through, don't isn't it?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: So that's gonna be that's gonna be where properties are being sold and it's wanted vacant possession and notices having to be given, that's gonna become a a delay, uh another delay in sales processes that are increasingly becoming longer anyway.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, in that instance, I'd I'd if you don't want the tenants, I'd get them to give the notice, that'll be easier.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, on that respect.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then moving on to serving notice, we haven't actually served notice on anyone since the 1st of May.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't really talk about any experience there.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: We did have a little bit of a cull and a little bit of a clear out of questionable tenants prior with section 21.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: So where they were not the greatest payers, they were there were some arrears but not loads, or where just we weren't happy with the condition of the property.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: The section 21s were served before the first of May.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: It is tricky now.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to have a reason to give notice.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So arrears is probably the biggest one that we see that has to have notice.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Increasingly, we are seeing people sell, so I'm sure that one will come into play at some point.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, we haven't had any experience of giving notice yet.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of it is it's difficult for me to comment on because I don't think the court processes have probably got that far yet to know to have any cases to know how they're going.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, all I'd say is you just need to document everything, evidence.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna need to build your case because you're gonna have to give a reason.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're as an agency, we haven't really had to change any of our processes because we've always been quite good at recording information.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you're a self-managing landlord and you're not so good at your admin and recording things, that might be something you want to have a think about, delegate delegating out, but having a track record of everything, all your documents in a line.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll come on to that with the landlord database.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to need a lot of those documents for that purpose anyway.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to get a little bit better at your admin if you're not so good, or you need to have a look at who can do that for you.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: So moving on to the landlord database.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: So the rollout starts.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is phase two of the Renters Rights Act, and they did say that it would be with us by the end of this year, and they're accurate.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's coming 15th of December is the first regional rollout.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: So it's been rolled out in regions.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: 15th of December, the database opens for West Midlands landlords.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's my area.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll be able to update, I'm sure, on how that goes.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: But once it's opened for your area, you will then have three months to get registered.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: So for the West Midlands, 15th of December, you need to be registered by the 14th of March.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in that area, don't leave it till the 30th.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: I have I have visions of the 13th of March being a very busy day and then it crash in.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, we'll certainly be trying to encourage our landlords to get to get on with that and do it well enough rather than leave it till the last minute.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: All landlords with assured tenancies will need to register.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: So APT, AST, you will need to register, and it's the charge is£65 per property.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you own the property, if you're Mr.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: and Mrs.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Smith and you own it in your personal names, you will both need to register on the database, but you will only need to pay£65 once for that one property.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you are a company, so if it's Mr.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: and Mrs.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: Smith Properties Limited, you will just need to register once.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: So you won't need to register each individual director or anything like that.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: You register as a company.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: There are different parts or different information you will need to add if you're a company.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's a bit more information you will need.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: But as I understand it at the moment, as landlord, you will need to start the process and you will need to finish the process.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: There will be elements if you have got a let an agent, there'll be elements that you can delegate with their agreement to them to do.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that would be things like uploading certificates, uploading tenancy information.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, a lot of information will need to be included.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you are superior landlord, so if you're renting out to doing some sort of like rent-to-rent company let where you're renting out, and then they're the ones letting it to different tenants, you will still need to register on the database.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: You'll need to register as that superior landlord and give your details.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: The company would need to register to provide the tenants' details.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: Again, they've not provided loads of information on that at the moment.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you are doing supported exempt supported accommodation, it is exempt.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't my area of expertise, but if it has to be exempt accommodation as set out in section 12 of the supported housing regulatory oversight act 2023.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm hoping that if you're in that area and operating the service supported accommodation, that you'll understand what that means.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: But you don't need to register, and I think that's more about there's other obligations that you probably have to do with that.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's about keeping the information that about the tenants, because they could be vulnerable, a little bit more hidden and not on an open database.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: But you will need to renew your registration every year.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, let an agent may be able to support you with elements of it, but ultimately it's going to be the landlord's responsibility to get it all done and compliant.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you are a landlord that's not very good with computers or doesn't have access to a computer, there's supposed to be a kind of old school written way to do it.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: They haven't again given us any information on that.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really looking forward to getting some of our more senior landlords that don't have an email address, don't have a computer registered.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's going to be very, very interesting.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: But the types of information that you're going to have to provide are your personal information and company information, so including name, date of birth, your contact information, information about the property, so address, the type of dwelling it is, number of bedrooms, if it's a leasehold property, you'll need to provide the freeholder details.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: You'll need to provide the tenancy information, so number of occupants, whether it needs a HMO license or a selective license or any other form of license, whether it's furnished, unfurnished, whether bills are included, the rents that you're charging, the frequency of rent payments.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: You need to upload your safety certificates, so gas, EICR, and EPC.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: So quite a lot of information.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: I've just kind of brushed over, but it's a lot of information that you're going to have to provide.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: At the beginning, it's not going to be open.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not going to be open to like tenants or anything like that to begin with.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: But further down the line, once it's been rolled out over all of the areas, tenants will have access to the information.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: The idea being that they can then make an informed decision on whether that's Landlord that they want to work with or rent from.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Any kind of enforcement action is all going to be recorded on there as well.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: So and it goes without saying that local councils are going to have access to all of this information.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it should make their job of enforcement a lot easier.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: Which, if you're a landlord that does everything properly, that's not something to be concerned about.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I would imagine it if you're not uploading your certificates and providing them, and they're going to be able to check that.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: So there could be fines issued on that.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't register your property, there are fines involved.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: So an initial or minor offence is£7,000.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: And repeat and serious offences could be up to£40,000.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've got three properties and you don't register any of them onto the database, that's potentially£21,000 in fines.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So get it.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you do it, make sure you register.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: Not the day before it closes, but obviously get on there.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you have properties in multiple areas of the country, you can register them all at the same time, as long as you'll still meet with the deadline.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've got a West Midlands property, the deadline's the 14th of March.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: If you've got a property in London, that their deadline's the 14th of October next year, but you can register the London property at the same time.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that that's probably a good idea if you've got a big portfolio, because then you'll work into one date rather than having to try and remember.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I guess it depends how many.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you've got hundreds and hundreds, it might be a big job to do.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I'd say that if you've got like a reasonable portfolio, it's probably best just to have one date that you're trying to remember to upload update the information and renew your registration.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: I have got like the dates for all of the areas, perhaps I'll send that to you, Mark.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I publish that.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, every month a new area is kind of introduced, and it's the same, it has you have three months.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: London is later on next year, that's one of the last areas.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, West Midlands and East of England are the first.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: So on that respect.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, Anthony and I are doing a webinar at the end of October.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's we're going to be talking about the landlord database.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of that information is going to be across the board, apply to everybody.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: We are based in Coventry, so it is a little bit more specific to Coventry and our landlords around here, but anyone is welcome to join that.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: So you can have a look that on that.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's www.coventrylandlord webinar.co.uk.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's free to register.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: So that's on the 29th at 7 p.m.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: Can you send me a link to that?
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'll send you a link.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'll send you the um table I've got of the regional, which regions come in when for the landlord database, and I'll send you the link to the to the webinar.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you ever so much.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: That'd be great.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: That'd be great.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: So what do you think of the database yourself?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I I must admit, I sat on a webinar the other day just to try and find out a little bit more.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I just thought some of the information I think is still very sketchy, considering we're two months away from it going live for the West Midlands.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it was an actual national residential landlords webinar that I sat on, and it had somebody from the government, the ministry housing team.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it was very, they were very, you could tell they were speaking from a script, but there was elements I thought they kept saying, oh, let let an agency be able to help you, and you'll be able to delegate that, but we haven't kind of figured that bit out quite yet.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it was all very like there wasn't, and oh, if you're not computer literate or you don't have a computer, there will be ways to register.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't had any information or haven't seen any information yet.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think yeah, there's a lot more involved in in what the details that you have to give.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: I kind of just thought it'd be your name and your prop your rental property, like contact information.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't expect tenants' details to have to go on to that as well.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: So that kind of surprised me a lot.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, enforcement-wise, I guess it's gonna hopefully get rid of some of the bad landlords, but again, are they even gonna bother register?
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: Are they just gonna try and slip under the radar?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: How are they gonna find those?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's frustrating that if you're in an area of licensing, so HMOs or additional licensing or selective licensing, you're probably providing a lot of this information already, and you're still gonna have to do that.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: So they're not it's not gonna be one system or anything like that.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: So you're gonna be duplicating work, but yeah, I just think I think it's a lot.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: From a letting agent, I'm trying to think what areas, what bits of this a landlord is a landlord going to be able to delegate, and how do I factor that into our staff and availability, you know?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you're just doing one or two properties, it's not too bad.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, we've got 300 plus properties under management.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's a lot of if we haven't uploaded all the certificates, that's a lot of lot of work for us.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um it is, yeah.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: And and and it's also like HMO tenants do tend to go and and move on and and and you know, move different places.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: So do you have to update it every time a tenant comes and goes, or would it just be a yearly thing to say, oh right, that now this time I we've got a different tenant?
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: Or or I see I'm not sure on this one because I think I took it initially that you're gonna have to keep it update updated all the time.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Then I thought, well, renewal-wise, is it just when you renew it, you've got to upload the information again?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: But then I thought, well, if you've got a safety certificate that expires in May and you've registered in January, I would imagine that come May you've got to upload the new one.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I I'm not 100% clear on that yet.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: I don't feel like they've given that much information.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: But as you say, yeah, HMO, you're gonna be, you know, you could be changing tenants every month.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's it, you know.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you've got a 12-bed, and let's just say, for argument's sake, they all decide to move at different times, then yeah, and I think I think sometimes it a lot of these ideas and a lot of these things, it's kind of based on maybe like a family let.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think they necessarily sometimes think of the detail and how it applies to things like student properties or how it applies to HMO properties.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the student, I didn't cover the student market today, but again, that's another thing that students can give notice at any time.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: So usually, traditionally, we start advertising November, December for the next year's intake to start at September time.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, these tenants that are in there at the moment could give notice in April and be leaving in June.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: So you're gonna have that big void period.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: So it's how how's that gonna work?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's all a bit up in the air.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: This year will be interesting to see how that pans out.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, students still want to get their accommodations secured for next year, November, December.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: So it's that's a tricky one.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it is, yeah.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm I'm actually taken back.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't realise it was all of that information.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: I thought it was basically your name, your property's details, you know, it's a five-bed or it's a four-bed, it's a three-bed terraced house in this area.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: Happy days, pay your license fee.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure there's a lot of tenants that aren't going to particularly like having their details on on this on the property thing as well.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: There'll be there'll be certain, only certain elements that will be open to the public.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't believe the tenants' details will necessarily be shared.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Landlord details.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, a tenant has the right to have those anyway, your your potential well, contact details and your address, they can request your address anyway.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, but I'm not sure exactly that again, they haven't published exactly what information is going to be open to the public.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's gonna be rolled out at the end once all of the regions have been set up on there.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure there'll be tee bin problems, but uh you'll see.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: When it all cracked, like you say, the system cracked.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: I was gonna say, yeah, that the night before we or the day before is gonna be the 13th of March.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully that's not Friday the 13th, because uh could be.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: But no, that's but I mean it's it's one of those watch this space, isn't it?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: But the information that you've shared with us, as always, absolutely brilliant.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you ever so much for that because it does keep us up to date with what's happening out there, and um, and that's why it's very, very important to make sure that you know you're following the right people, you're listening to the right people, getting the information, you know.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: By the experts, I always say you you can be an expert in different things, but yeah, really appreciate that today.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, any any sort of final thoughts?
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Just well, I mean, I'm in Coventry, so West Millennium's with the first area.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: Come January, I'll hopefully be able to update you on how things are going and probably have a few more grey hairs.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to get our landlords because it's also it's the Letting Agency, they've made it clear that it is a landlord responsibility, but you know, from a Letting agency point of view, where do I stand if a landlord's not registered?
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, am I gonna if I'm processing rent to them, am I gonna get in trouble if they're not registered?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it's there's a lot of information I don't think is clear at the moment, and I don't think they're quite there.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: So they've kind of launched these dates, but yeah.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: Who knows?
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, as a business yourself, you know, 300 odd properties there with landlords and everything, there's a lot of paperwork to be done there.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, who who stumps the bill for all of the sort of admin work that you've got to do as well.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, obviously, there's nothing in our managed contracts that we would deal with this.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: So for us, the likelihood is that we will have to implement an additional charge if a landlord wants our support on it.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know landlord's take on it is you're fully managing it, you should do it, but you know, innit?
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: It it is difficult.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's trying to get landlords to understand, like they're they see it, they're their property, one property.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, to do that, it's probably just going to take me 20 minutes, half an hour.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: But if I've got 300, that's an additional team member that I've got to pay.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it is resources-wise, but I'm still not clear on what elements will be able to do or not.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they're saying that a lesson agent can't do the registration on a landlord's behalf.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just, yeah.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'm gonna have it, I'm gonna have to have a session in our office in person, clicking the mouse for people and having it set up so they have to do it.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, I just I'm not sure how it's gonna work out, to be honest.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: But watch this space, watch this space and see what they come up with the greatest ideas, don't they?
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's just like, well, how are we actually gonna do this?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so um that's the trouble.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think they're still working out how are we gonna do this in some elements, anyway.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing, amazing.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, thank you for your time today.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Always a pleasure to see you, and thank you ever so much for the information and everything.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's great to put it out there and uh always looking forward to the updates.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I will look forward to seeing you next month.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and also you've got your webinar on the 29th.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: So have the link, click the link, join Anthony and Allison on that webinar and continue to learn and continue to be updated as it's happening.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: You're the first area, so you're like the guinea pigs for us all there, aren't we?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: So let's see how it's gonna go.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just think this I I mean, I think legislation, it came, you know, it's coming from the government, sat in London.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think London should have been the first area.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah, it normally is, isn't it?
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of the legislation is based on the London market.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: I thought typical West Fiddlins knew it would be our area, but hey ho.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: They've thrown it out there, they've thrown it out there.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you ever so much for uh the update today.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you've enjoyed this.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: I look forward to more updates that we bring to this great community.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: As again, thank you, Alison, for your time today.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely amazing.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: No problem.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Mark.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Brilliant cheers, bye bye.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.